CLEAR BEER DRAUGHT SYSTEM Thank you for purchasing the Clear Beer Draught System. This product will provide a lifetime of trouble free service and enhance the quality of your homebrewed beer. A lot of thought, effort and trials went into the development and production of this device. The inspiration was simple: Why am I drinking beer that is drawn off of the dregs at the bottom of the keg? Why not drink the clear, great tasting beer that is available from near the top surface of the beer. Depending on the brewing parameters and the yeast used, it could literally take months for the entire keg to clear. I am not that patient. I have used the Clear Beer Draught System for some time now and the availability, quality and taste of my draught beer has been greatly improved. We submerge ourselves into this great hobby to produce great tasting, visually appealing beer. The Clear Beer Draught System will help you achieve this. William Broderick Owner Brew Products, LLC INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE You will find the Clear Beer Draught System very easy to use and incorporate into your draught beer system if you follow these simple instructions. They may seem lengthy, but get through them one time, and just like your other brewing processes, it will become second nature. After all, the goal is to improve the quality and availability of your draught beer. (Scroll to the bottom for pictures when needed) The first step is to be sure the keg has no residual pressure. Either pop the relief valve if your keg is so equipped, or bleed pressure by depressing the center pin on the CO2 port. Once all the pressure is relieved, remove the service port from the keg. The next step is to remove the existing dip tube from the keg. The out port, which secures the dip tube, must be unscrewed in a counter clock wise direction. On the inside of the removed fitting there will be a rubber check valve attached to a spring. This is a good time to clean and check the condition of the valve assembly. If it wasn t leaking previously, it should be OK. If the rubber is in bad condition, most homebrew shops carry replacements. The dip tube can now be slid out of the port. Thoroughly clean the dip tube for storage. Thoroughly clean all parts of the Clear Beer Draught System using hot water and soap. This initial cleaning is very important! All of the parts have been through industrial manufacturing processes. Take your time and be thorough. Do not boil the silicone parts! It is not necessary. Boiling or steam sanitizing pure silicone rubber can possibly increase its size and cause it to become gummy. Boiling of the stainless steel parts is not necessary either. Also, do not worry about scratches and dings the parts will acquire over time. Remember, the Clear Beer Draught System will be in contact with beer, not wort. The alcohol that is present, the low PH, and the colder temperatures are all deterrents to bacterial growth. A thorough cleaning and sanitation using an acid base sanitizer is all that is needed. After cleaning, rinse all parts inside and out completely with hot water. Now clean the keg and the service port lid using your regular procedures and cleaner/sanitizer of choice. Note: if you use an alkaline based cleaner, (B-Brite, PBW etc.) the keg must have a final rinse with an acid based cleanser. If not, the surface of the metal is in a condition that will support/attract the buildup of mineral deposits. Five Star Saniclean works best and will keep your kegs in the proper condition. Follow directions for dilution ratios. Completely coat the inside of the keg. If you already have mineral deposits, do not try to remove them mechanically. An overnight soak in a solution of 2oz. Saniclean per 5 gallons should do the job. Any remaining deposits will now easily be removed using a sponge or soft nylon brush. Thoroughly rinse with cold water, coat all surfaces with an acid based sanitizer. Clean and sanitize the out port on the keg, the out port fitting, the supplied short dip tube and the check valve assembly. Slide the o ring to the top of the short dip tube and install into the out port on the keg. Install the check valve assembly into the out port fitting. Screw the out port fitting onto the keg and tighten.
Using an acid based sanitizer such as Star San, sanitize all the parts of the Clear Beer Draught System. A soak of all the parts in the sanitizer would be best. (Do not use bleach containing sanitizers on stainless steel parts). Keeping a spray bottle of Star San (mixed in the proper ratios) around the brewery is very useful. Use it to spray fittings, the inside of kegs, tap faucet parts, etc. Assemble the clean/sanitized Clear Beer Draught System. Insert the screw through the bottom of the stainless steel bracket and thread the float onto the screw hand tight. This ensures that you are not cross threading the screw. Tighten lightly with a screwdriver if necessary. For proper operation, the base must have a snug fit to the float. If the base rotates 20-30 deg. in each direction before stopping, that is ok. Slide the longer leg of the stainless intake tube through 1 hole in the bracket. Slide the silicone o ring on to the end of the tube. Now align the tube with the other hole in the bracket and push it through far enough so the silicone end cap can be installed. Install the silicone end cap. Be sure the float base rotates freely about the stainless pick up tube. Do not attach the silicone tubing at this time. Now it s time to install the Clear Beer Draught System. Caution: Be careful when inserting or removing your hand from the service port opening. Many kegs, especially new ones, have sharp edges that could cut your hand or wrist. The following steps are important for optimal performance. Stand the keg upright on the floor with the out port closest to you. The supplied silicone tubing will have a natural curvature. Slide one end of the tube onto the out port dip tube so the curvature will point the other end of the tube towards the in port side of the keg when hanging freely. The tubing should be slid onto the dip tube at least 3/8 of an inch. Pull the other end of the tubing out of the keg. Now hold the float assembly so the end of the stainless tube that the silicone tubing will attach is pointing straight down and the other end with the silicone cap on it is pointing straight at the out port. Ensure the tubing is in a relaxed state, (not twisted), then slide it about 3/8 of an inch on to the stainless tube. Lower the float into the keg. This positioning will allow the float to rotate properly and land upright in the middle of the keg as it empties. Rack your beer into the keg with whatever method you have been using. With the Clear Beer Draught System assembled as described and the keg is full, the top of the float will be facing upwards and be near the center of the keg. Install the service port, purge oxygen, chill and carbonate as usual. If you carbonate at regular serving pressure and temperature, by the time the keg is fully carbonated, you will be pouring acceptable beer. As mentioned above, some yeast strains do not flocculate as well as others. Some fining agents will drop the yeast out if done properly. If you need to get your beer ready very quickly for an upcoming event, chilling the beer to near freezing while carbonating at an elevated level should produce acceptable results. Some trial and error will be required. Try 25-30 PSI for 3-4 days @ 30-32F. Let the beer warm to serving temperatures or chill haze could be evident. Remember to dial the pressure down before serving. This is when you will really enjoy the benefits of the Clear Beer Draught System. Dry hopping can be done by simply pouring pellets directly into the keg. Do this at room temperature for best hop flavor and aroma. Be ready to install the service port in case the beer foams up. Do not use whole hops for this method. After 4-7 days, gently rock or tap the sides of the keg which will drop the remaining hop solids to the bottom. Chill, carbonate and serve. Highly dry hopped beers will generally remain a little cloudy due to the massive amounts of hop oils. Be aware, you might pick up some hop particles when pouring the last pint or two (it s good for you!) Be sure to clean the out port, check valve, tubing and dispense faucet after using this method. 2oz of dry hop pellets or more can affect the landing of the float on the bottom. It will still work, and you will get all of the beer out of the keg. It just might not be upright when the keg pops. To remove the Clear Beer Draught System, bleed pressure, open the service port and slide the hose off of the dip tube. Careful, this is when injury can occur. If the hose does not easily come off, remove the out port and check valve and remove the dip tube. This will slide the hose off of the tube on the way out. Clean all parts and tubing with hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly, let dry. The silicone hose is going to pick up some color with use. But the color, flavor or aromas from one brew will not leach into subsequent brews. Cream ales have followed chocolate stouts using the same tubing without a trace of the former brew. Now it s time to enjoy yeast free, sediment free beer. This is how the beer you brewed should taste. After all the thought and hard work involved in producing your beer, you deserve it.
First installation step is to install the silicone tube onto the out port dip tube. Slide the tubing onto the dip tube at least 3/8. With a gentle tug, the tubing should stay put, if not, remove the tubing and dry the dip tube with a clean cloth. As you can see, the natural curvature of the hose is pointing towards the sidewall. This is not what you want. Rotate the tubing on the dip tube until it is positioned as seen in the next photo.
This is the correct positioning of the tubing. When hanging freely, the natural curvature points towards the opposite side of the keg.
Now remove the lower end of the tubing from the keg so it can be attached to the stainless tube. The float assembly positioning in this picture is very important. Note that the end where the tubing will attach is pointing straight down and the end with the silicone cap on it is pointing straight at the out port. This how the assembly must be positioned before attaching the silicone hose. Being sure the silicone tubing is in a relaxed state (not twisted), slide it at least 3/8 onto the stainless tube. Again, give a gentle tug to check security. That s it, ready to lower the assembly into the keg.
The float assembly gently lowered into the keg. How the float is oriented when it settles on the bottom of the keg is not extremely important as it will find its correct orientation as the keg fills. The tubing looks to be too long, but it will shrink considerably when chilled to serving temperatures.
Gravity filling 2 kegs via the out port. This is the preferred method as it fills the keg from the bottom up, reduces the risk of oxidation, and keeps the silicone tubing full of the current beer during the carbonation process. But, whichever fermentation system you use, and however you chose to fill the keg, the Clear Beer Draught System will still do its thing and improve your enjoyment of the draught beer you created.
This picture shows the initial transfer into the keg. This is done at a very slow rate. Notice there are very few bubbles present. That is what you want (if there is a lot of C02 in the beer, some foaming is inevitable, but that s fine, it s not introducing oxygen) Once the level rises enough so that the intake is submerged, open the gates and let it fill as fast as your system allows. The float will orientate its self correctly and rotate about the stainless tubing on its way to the top of the keg. Notice when the stainless tubing is on the bottom, the intake port faces upward. This is intentional so you don t draw the sediment from the bottom on the last pint or two.
Here you go, 5 gallons of goodness ready for carbonation. The Clear Beer Draught System is positioned perfectly on top. This is where the beer should be drawn from, not the bottom. This was a Belgian Pale Ale racked to the keg after 6 days in the fermenter. No need for a secondary fermenter and all the work that involves. After installing the service port and purging oxygen with C02, it will sit at room temp for 3-4 days to allow the yeast to consume any remaining sugar and oxygen, and for a diacetyl rest. Then on to the kegerator. By the time it s fully carbonated, you will be pouring acceptable, if not outstanding beer. Again, that depends on your brewing processes and the type of beer brewed. The example above has a non-flocculent yeast strain and wheat as part of the grain bill. The expectations will be in line with what was brewed. As has been stated, what s being drawn from the top will always be better than what would be drawn from the bottom. This particular beer would take at least 2-3 months before acceptable beer could be drawn from the bottom of the keg.
Perfect landing! This is a view of a keg that gave up its last beer. This is how the system will position its self when the keg is finished. The dimension of the legs on the bracket and the fact that the intake port faces upwards when on the bottom combine to deliver clear, clean beer to the last pour, yet leaving a minimum amount of beer behind. The exception is if you really pound the keg with dry hops, but it s worth a little loss for all that hoppy goodness.